Reality aka Afterlife
by LithiumLi3
Summary: Sequel to Yume. Yugi finds himself in the Afterlife, and learns some pretty shocking things about his Pharaoh, who doesn't remember him. But what happens when there's a threat to Yugi's life among the dead? Will Yami save him? BETA'D by Ostensibly Lucidin
1. Awake and Unwell

_Take a breath. That's good, now hold it... Good, now let it out..._

This is how you breathe? I doubt it. I sighed, letting a shallow gush of air erupt from my lungs. Gods, but I feel weak... Jii-chan comes in with that worried, worn old face. I think these last few months, I've given him twice as many wrinkles as he ever had in his lifetime. "Yugi, are you going to be well enough to do this?" he asks worriedly. I have insisted on coming with him to Egypt. It will let me be as close to Atemu as I can possibly can.

_My Pharaoh..._

I smiled weakly at Jii-chan, and pushed myself forward in my wheel-chair. "I'll be fine, Jii-chan. I really want to do this." My voice comes out in something akin to a loud whisper. But I'm determined. I want to see Egypt once more, to see Atemu's homeland. Jii-chan sighed, seeing the determination in my eyes.

"It'll be hard to get around in that, what with all the sand." he says. I smiled again.

"I'll push myself, Jii-chan. Don't worry so much. I'm not going to break at the slightest little touch of exertion." That was a lie, I could really weaken my chances of survival by doing this, but I really had to do this. I didn't care if I died. I really needed to do this. For Atemu. And for me.

Jii-chan sighed. "Yugi... I'll ask if Seto and Mokuba can watch you. When you get tired, Seto will push you, okay?" I blinked, and shook my head, laughing.

"Jii-chan, that really isn't necessary! Seto Kaiba wouldn't agree to that!" I said, laughing a little at the thought. Jii-chan smiled. But there was pain in his eyes as he watched me try to regain my breath. Just this little bit of exertion left me dizzy from lack of air.

"Who said I wouldn't?" Came a voice from behind Jii-chan. I turned to look at Kaiba. Ever since I'd gotten sick, Kaiba had been helping me a lot. More then likely it was because of Mokuba. Seto hadn't ever really liked me. I blinked now, and frowned a little. "I'll help the little sickling." He said, smirking. I sighed, closing my eyes in relief. _There _was the Kaiba I knew. Mokuba came in next and smiled at me.

"How ya doin' Yugi?" he asked. I grinned at him.

"I'm fine. A little impatient to get going, but I'm fine." I replied. Mokuba grinned back. But everyone seemed really quiet today. And, for lack of better words... silently sad? What was wrong. I looked at Jii-chan. "Can I go now?" I asked. I saw him chuckle very slightly.

"You haven't eaten yet, and we still have to put your I.V. Fluids in place." Jii-chan answered. I flinched at the I.V. part. I hated I.V.'s. Seto laughed, saying he would get me something to eat. Mokuba went to help Jii-chan get the I.V. Fluids, and I sat alone once more in this little hotel room. Soon I'd be able to see Egypt again. Soon I'd be able to see Atemu's home. Soon...

Jii-chan and Mokuba were the first ones back inside the room. They finished hooking my up to the I.V. and placed the machine used to dispense the medicine onto the back of my wheelchair. Seto came in with food. I knew immediately I wouldn't be able to eat much today. There were times when my stomach wouldn't hold much. I would eat two or three bites, and be full enough to throw up. It was a side-effect of the medicine. I smiled in thanks and took a few bites of toast, and a quick sip of orange juice. Setting that back on the tray, I smiled at Jii-chan.

"All done. Now can I go?" I asked a little impatiently, while trying to appear to be readying for Sainthood. And really, I deserved it. I couldn't tolerate a whole bunch of food today! Seto glared at me.

"You have to eat more then that! After all the trouble I go through to bring that up here!" He crossed his arms and looked at me with a very cold glare. I bit my lip. I couldn't force anymore food into my body without throwing it all up. Jii-chan, seeing this, smiled.

"Seto, he can't eat anymore. The medicine is working." He tried to explain as patiently as possible to the brunette. Seto glared at the I.V. bags and took the tray of food away without a word. I sighed, and waited. '_Soon. Outside in Egypt soon..._'

_We'll be together..._

Seto came back in and sighed. "Ready to go?" Ever hear someone ask you a really stupid question? That's just what happened. I nodded eagerly, and rolled myself out of the room.

"See you soon, Jii-chan!" I called over my shoulder. Jii-chan sat down on my bed and smiled.

"See you soon, Yugi." he replied in an almost tear-filled glance. Why did he seem so sad? The elevator was waiting. I rolled onto it and pressed my hand flat against the door to hold it from closing on Seto and Mokuba. Once all of us were on, I let go of the door, which slid shut and pressed the button for the first floor. The moment the elevator began it's descent, I felt my heart rising. Soon.

The doors opened, and I wheeled myself out quickly, narrowly avoiding people who were waiting for the elevator. Seto let out a grunt of surprise as I sped off, and I could hear him shouting at me. "GET BACK HERE MOTOU!!!" I didn't listen. The doors were ahead of me. Someone had seen me coming and politely opened to door for me. I laughed joyfully, seeing the Egyptian sand ahead of me.

"Thanks!" I called over my shoulder to the stranger, and immediately burst out into the open air.

_Finally!_ I laughed even more so as I gazed around me. I could see the Pyramids in the distance, the Nile was nearby, I could hear it. I could see people looking at me, native Egyptians who were staring at the pale stranger in a wheelchair, laughing and looking around as though he were in a candy store. I had missed this. When we flew in, I was under sedation, to help me sleep, and had only woken up yesterday. I was glad to see this. I could look at it through a window, and see the vast Egyptian land, but it would only depress me until I went outside to see it without glass.

Mokuba and Seto had now caught up with me. But there were no reprimands this time. Why? They just seemed glad to see me laugh. I calmed myself down so I could breathe properly, and then looked at Seto. "Can we go see the Nile?" I asked. Seto shrugged.

"Like I care. You're the one in charge. I just push you when you get tired." he replied in a bored tone. I nodded, and wheeled myself to where I heard the Nile running. The sand was hard to push through, and sapped my energy quickly, but I refused to stop. I was caught by surprised when I felt myself move when I had stopped for a quick rest. I turned to see Seto pushing me.

He pointed suddenly. "The Nile River." He said simply, ignoring my staring. I turned to look, and gasped. The Nile. The sight took my breath away. The reeds stood tall, lifting up towards the sun, the water's edge glinting in the sun, the reflection on the water of the Pyramids, gleaming brightly, golden in the bright sun. Wind stirred the calm waters just a little, brushing my face gently, sending the reeds into a graceful dance, the soft sound of their tiny pipe-like bodies moving against each other, rustling like that of leaves made me smile again. Drained of energy, weak, and sick as I was, I could still enjoy this.

Seto had obviously seen enough. He walked over to where Mokuba, who was bent over something on the ground, trying to find out what it was. I felt sleepy suddenly. A nap wouldn't hurt. I sighed, smiling still to myself, and let my eyes start to close. The last thing I remember seeing was Seto and Mokuba running over to me, faces distressed. And then, nothing... Voices...?

_"Pharaoh..."_

"That is enough, Theoris. I will hear no more protests against my actions. If you really do not wish to wait for the boy to wake up, go to the palace ahead of me. I will follow when the boy awakens."

"But, Pharaoh... You know I am bound to stay by your side..."

"I am quite capable of handling myself, Theoris. I will not hold anything against you if you go ahead. I, on the other hand, am staying right here."

Yugi woke to voices. One he don't know, and one he almost recognised. Who...? Yugi opened his eyes slowly to see a face looking off into the distance. He cannot see it clearly. The sun was behind it, making only a simple silhouette, but it reminded him of someone... He decided to survey his surroundings. The Nile is near, he noted. Very near. He heard the waters running. He heard the reeds rustle in the wind that brushed gently against his face. Yugi smiled, and sat up slowly, rubbing the sand from his face. Had he fallen asleep here? Where was Seto and Mokuba?


	2. Shock

**_Yugi looked at the figure next to him, who had noticed the movement on his(?) left. Yugi looked, and this time the sun wasn't in his eyes, but for a long moment, he thought he was staring at the sunset, because those eyes were blood red, and so painfully familiar, that Yugi felt his heart throb painfully, and a curious prickle shot through his right wrist. His breath had been caught in his throat. He only slowly realized he still needed to breathe, and sucked in a large gulp of air, before feeling his eyes droop. '_Here too?_' He thought tiredly, and bowed his head, just in time to see his body was partly transparent. _**Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

'_That's going to get annoying really fast..._' I thought to myself, unaware that thinking normally meant I was awake (or, in some cases, alive...) I opened my eyes, only to find the unwelcoming-ly familiar sight of a hospital ceiling greeting me. I scowled at it, though, if anyone were looking on, it might have looked like a cute pout more then anything.

I closed my eyes, making a sour face, and tried to calm the temper that had developed with all of my hospitals visits. The only thing I liked about hospitals was that they were quiet... "YUGI!!!!!!!!" A loud, shrill, female voice screeched my name. I twitched slightly as I opened my eyes. '_Until now..._' Anzu Mazaki ran over from the doorway into my 'room' and tackled me.

"Itai..." I whispered, clutching my head as she rolled off of me and plopped with boneless dancer's grace onto the floor. I forced a smile at her worried expression, hoping she wouldn't tackle me again. "Konichiwa, Anzu-san." I said cheerfully, though in a quiet voice. My throat hurt for some reason, as though I'd been shouting. Anzu rolled her eyes.

After Yami had left, I'd reverted to calling her 'san' instead of 'chan', or even without the prefix. I reverted back to calling everyone 'san', 'kun', or even 'sama'. I think it scares them. It scares Jii-chan for some reason. I don't get them sometimes. They seemed overly worried. Stiflingly so. Sometimes, I wish they wouldn't worry so much.

Since that last hospital visit a month ago, Jii-chan had been acting so sad, as if he were watching someone he loved die, and they'd be gone forever, and he'd be all alone... '_Why does that sound as though it's too close to reality for comfort?_' I wondered. I shrugged it off. Maybe I was just being too paranoid. I hope...

Jii-chan came into the room. I smiled brightly to him, even though Anzu's tackle was still hurting my chest (part of the things that happened to me since Yami left was that my body was so weakened that I could shatter half of my foot by simply stubbing my toe, hence why the hug SLASH glomp had hurt) and I was kind of annoyed at being in a hospital _again. _Jii-chan smiled hesitantly at me. "Good to see you up, Yugi..." He said quietly.

I tilted my head. Why did he sound so sad? And tired. He looked awfully tired. His face, worn with age, had twice the amount of wrinkles it was supposed to have, no doubt due to all of the trouble I've caused him with having to take care of me... Yami had given me such strength when he was alive... He'd always helped me learn to do things on my own... I guess he thought I could take care of myself when he left through that doorway into the afterlife... And for a while, I thought so too... Until I realized I'd hid something from myself...

My love for Atemu... Yami... Mou hitori no boku... the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle... my Pharaoh...

After that everything went downhill. It started with my grades, which slipped beyond repair. Even though I tried my hardest, I could never concentrate on what was going on around me. Things slipped through my memory, like there were holes in my memory that led to an oblivion, moments in time never to be recalled again...

The next thing to fall was my friendships. Sure, I was still friends with everyone, but barely anyone bothered to see if I existed anymore. Because they simply faded away from me, after Atemu left. Except for Anzu... '_Unfortunately..._' She's been such a whore lately... Anzu had been marked Domino's official slut. She even surpassed MAI!!! And _that's_ saying something! It's also gross... And she's been trying to get me in bed with her... I mentally shudder at the thought. Like I would...

I guess the next thing that fell was my health, which crumbled very slowly. Jii-chan and I have made numerous hospital visits for his heart and my health. Poor Jii-chan... He sighs and sits down on the bed next to me. Only then do I realize that there's a bunch of machines around my bed, and even a respirator (it makes me breathe when I can't on my own.) I blink in confusion.

"Jii-chan, is something wrong?" I asked, my voice quiet, subdued. I looked around, wondering why the room was suddenly so quiet. Like the world was holding it's breath. Then I got my answer. Anzu was gone. '_Thank you, Ra!!!!_' I thought in reverence. My attention shifted back to Jii-chan as he sighed heavily again, and ran a hand through his hair, spiked and similar to my own, only gray instead of the black with red tips, and golden bangs.

"Yugi... I have something to tell you..." He said quietly. I waited patiently. Obviously something big was on his mind. He didn't say anything for a long moment. I could tell he was finding the words. "Yugi... Do you remember the last time you were in a hospital?" He asked suddenly. I nodded slowly. That had been a month ago. I remember that time because of that... Dream I'd had... '_Mental twitch... Stope Remembering That Dream!!!_'*****

"Well, while you were sleeping, the doctors told me that you were in very bad health. They said... They said that you only had a month to live..." I blinked. It was becoming a little difficult to breathe. '_This was why they all..._' "I'm sorry, Yugi... But I asked them not to extend your suffering anymore. When you go to sleep, they will turn off all of your machines and end your time here. Good luck in the afterlife, my grandson." He left me there, staring, wide-eyed in shock.

Was that all I had to look forward to?

***For Reference, please read Yume.**


	3. Forget Me Not

_Forget me not, I ask of you  
Wherever your life takes you to  
And if we ever meet again  
Think of me every now and then  
Forget me not, I ask of you..._

--- Lucie Silvas, Forget Me Not

The room is silent save for all the machines my conscious body now depends on. Part of me wants to never fall asleep (even though that's impossible because I'm exhausted right now), and another part of me wants it all to end. '_Ra, but I'm so confused... Sleeeeeepyyyyy..._' I feel my eyelids droop. Why is it I'm always tired? Jii-chan knows how sleepy I get now... Bad thought.

A wave of hurt and betrayal crashes down on me. Even though Jii-chan said it was simply because he felt I shouldn't 'suffer' anymore, I couldn't help but feel a little hurt. He seemed so... weird all of a sudden. It wasn't like him to just throw in the towel and not try and fight fate. In fact, _he's_ where I got it from! So why would he do this!?

That question will go unanswered for the time being, because I'm falling asleep... ((yawns Great, now I'M tired!))

_"Did he fall asleep again, my Pharaoh?"_  
I opened my eyes, and was met with a harsh blast of sunlight. One word. "Ow..." I moaned, and rolled over, only to fall right onto the floor. That was even more painful, but also cold, which woke me up. I hate mornings like that. "Jii-chan?" I called, still unaware of what had happened.

A sigh comes from somewhere near him.

"Yes. We shall wait for him to awaken. He is becoming more solid now. Seth, please send a slave to fetch some clothes for the boy. Ones that will fit." A deep, velvety baritone fills his ears. It's familiar...

A snort of laughter from nearby that is also vaguely familiar.

"The only clothes that will fit him would be yours, Sunlight Of The Sky. And even then, they would be a little big..."

A chuckle comes from the previous baritone. The scent of sandalwood incense and cinnamon fills his nose.

"Yes, I am aware how small he is. But he is the one the Gods told me to treat with care. He is the Last One coming here. There will be no others. As you can see, the entrance is now completely sealed off... Ah, back to the matter at hand. If only my clothing will fit him, then bring them here, and I will dress him. Go fetch them now, please."

A chuckle comes from the other voice.

"Yes, my Morning Sun."

No reply.

I frowned a little, which looked like the beginnings of a pout to anyone else watching, and tilted my head, wondering where he could be. The sound of a door opening behind me makes my head whip around to see someone _very_ familiar walking towards me, carrying clothes. And I think my heart nearly stopped as I remembered I _shouldn't _be seeing that person.

I blinked a few times as he stopped, seeing me on the floor, one eyebrow raised in question. I looked away, feeling the pain throb in my heart once more at the sight of those too beautiful crimson eyes, the prickle in my wrist from before magnified tenfold.

"Little One, what are you doing on the floor?"

The rich, deep voice I'd been longing to hear for years came to me, breaking my heart into so many little pieces, shattering it beyond recognition. I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath.

"Who am I?"

I asked this question very quietly, just loud enough for my former other to hear me. I kept my eyes closed listening for the answer. There was silence for a long while.

"You are the Last One to enter the Afterlife, Little One. I am sorry if you have no memory of your past life."

That did it. That shattered my heart. I held back tears behind my closed eyelids, and tried gulping as much air as possible as it became harder to breathe. This pharaoh didn't know me. He didn't remember us. The correct answer would have been much faster and it would have been the following;

"You are my aibou, my partner, hikari. Akhu. My Light."

I bowed my head so that he wouldn't see as the tears forced themselves out of my eyes. Unfortunately, he noticed when the moisture dropped to the floor (which, I must add, is SOLID GOLD!!! OMFG!!) Immediately there were strong arms pulling me to a warm body, and a comforting crooning voice wormed it's way into my ears and filling my mind with so many painful memories...

"What is wrong, Little One?"

That only made it worse. Yami(_Atemu_) had called me that. I was sobbing hard by now, and, to my mind's horror, turned in this Pharaoh's arms and buried my face in his chest.

'_So like Yami (_ATEMU!!_) ... Gods, I wish he were here right now..._'

Eventually, I'd cried myself out, and stayed there, trembling in the Pharaoh's arms, suppressing the dry sobs, gasping in shaky little breaths, my face still hidden in his comforting warmth.

MEANWHILE:

Atemu didn't know why he did it. He didn't know why it mattered to him if this boy cried. But the sight of him, so lonely, crying as though his world had fallen apart... it made him want to hold the boy close and ease away all of the troubles that could possibly harm him. He swept the boy into an embrace, asking him what was wrong, but to his absolute horror, these words seemed to make it worse. The boy turned to him, sobbing into his chest as Atemu's arms wrapped themselves around the boy, gently rocking him back and forth, murmuring soothing nonsense over and over again until the sounds all but faded away. The boy made no motion to move, and Atemu made no move to make him do so, liking the feel of the smaller boy in his arms. But eventually, there were things that needed to be done.

"Little One, there is a bath waiting for you... We must hurry before it has lost all of it's warmth." he said gently.

The boy in his arms glanced up at him, large amethyst eyes darkened with sorrow, nodding. "Wakarimasu."

Atemu rose a brow at the familiar word, though he had no idea what it meant.

"Pardon?" He asked quietly.

The boy jumped, blushed, and looked away. "I understand." He said, before getting up. Atemu immediately regretted telling the boy about the bath. The feel of him in his arms was immediately missed. But... '_I could always bathe with him..._' Atemu smirked, feeling a little plot enter his mind. He too, stood up.

"Come, I will show you to the bathing chambers."

**0.o Atemu has naughty plans, lol**

**Read and review, please. I live for feedback. Any mistakes are not because of my new beta, Ostensibly Lucidina, but they are my own, because I go back and re-edit everything after she's done to keep my original message somewhat intact, minus a million fragmented sentences... Yeah, she kept complaining about that... A few other readers did, too...**


	4. Current

_It's not that I doubt_

_What's going on with you,_

_I just can't seem to find_

_What's really wrong with you._

_Your eyes used to sparkle;_

_Your laughter filled the room;_

_Now you're just a shadow_

_Of someone I think I knew._

_I know something's not right;_

_I can feel it in my bones._

_Because when you're near there's pain._

_Is it because you're alone?_

_You told me you knew who you were,_

_But why did you cry?_

_Did you loose someone close?_

_Will you tell me why_

_You look like you've lost the world,_

_Like something's very horribly wrong..._

_Why **LithiumLi3** (a.k.a. **ME**)_

* * *

Atemu is watching me again. I swear, even though he isn't my Yami anymore, he watches me like a hawk, as if expecting someone to attack me at any given moment. That, and he's always trying to get me to talk about why I cried when I first came here five months ago. Why he would is beyond me, and I couldn't tell him if I wanted to. For two reasons.

A: The gods sent me a dream of a very painful hellish eternity if I so much as even tried,

and

B: It causes too much pain to even think about that, let alone try and explain it to someone who doesn't even know anything about it (anymore).

I am currently working as the Pharaoh's personal bodyguard(secretly)/dancer for foreign/nightly entertainment. The reason I'm his secret bodyguard is because he has an 'official' one, at whom most attacks will be directed to to get to the Pharaoh, and the guy is incompetent. I **_really _**don't like the idea of him alone guarding Atemu. That, and being a dancer allows undercover work '(_evil laugh_)', and as I know, looks can be decieving. I look like a harmless little dancer, (and according to a LOT of people, whom I do NOT agree with, a very cute, sweet, beautiful, (and in the words of Atemu himself, whom of which I will strangle for the comment) _exotic, sexy, teasing_ dancer at that.)

Right now I'm practicing a new dance. And Atemu is **_still _**watching me. I REALLY hate that. It's kind of disturbing having him watch me a lot like the way Yami used to. He's kind of scary... He's just staring... and... is that drool!? Why is he drooling? Is he _that_ bored? Wait... I'm doing what might be called 'dirty dancing' back at home... basically it's sex with clothes on... which is kinda weird, even for me, because I'm normally not that kind of person, but that's the way they dance here, and HE'S STILL STARING AT ME!!!! TAKE A PICTURE, IT LASTS LONGER!!!!!

I frown as I try to pull myself out of my thoughts, which are now solely centered on a certain drooling pharaoh, who looks somewhat dazed. I'm doing my best to ignore the voice in my head that keeps saying he's turned-on by watching me, and trying even harder not to look between his legs to find out the truth. So, mentally scarred at these dirty thoughts about my memory-less, still-over-protective-of-me, sexy pharaoh, I tried paying attention to the dance steps.

It worked for a while. I was able to concentrate solely on that and actually manage to block out that annoying, slightly perverted, mocking, extra voice-in-my-head. Until there came a part where I was supposed to spoon myself over the pharaoh the way I always do in a dance. (It was worked into the routine, I would do that even if there were no threats, and tell him if there were, as if it were part of the dance.) I did as was the new custom with my position, sitting lightly on the pharaoh's lap, (and as was my habit) relaxing thoroughly against him, and feeling suddenly very sleepy (we'd been at this for hours now,) I nuzzled my face into the crook of his throat and shoulders, sighing lightly as my eyes closed.

I felt strong arms wrap around my waist, a deep chuckle rumbling under me as Atemu said we'd done enough for today. I only remember being very warm, which was very nice, and feeling something hard pressing against my lower back. Then I fell asleep...

WHAM!

I'm knocked out of bed, and sent flying onto the floor. "Itai!" I moaned, clutching my head, because it had banged into a desk nearby. Still not exactly thinking, I looked around to see what had knocked me out of bed, only to realize that the person was right in front of me, ocean-blue eyes glinting maliciously. (And so you people know, Anzu has the SAME name in Egyptian! mentally cries)

Anzu glared at me. "So, Xrd, are you going to tell me why the pharaoh carried _you_ to _his_ _chambers _last night?" She folded her arms over her way too revealed chest. Anzu of Egypt is a former concubine of the previous pharaoh, and because Atemu preferred men, he kicked the concubines out. He didn't bother replacing them though. He told me in confidence that he was looking for 'the right one'. But back to Anzu. Anzu is obsessed with Atemu, and will do anything to get him in her clutches, which makes me A: Jealous, and B: consider actually hating her.

Oh, and I must have forgotten to mention that she hates my guts. Fun, ne? Meanwhile, I'm mumbling in japanese. "Bakamono... Baka, anta onmi kouitsu eru. Nai onmi anta gatsuntoiu butto dakikakaeru bekarazu." I berated myself. Anzu slapped me.

"DON'T TALK IN SOME LANGUAGE I DON'T KNOW." She screeched. I held a hand to my stinging cheek, and said only this,

"I didn't mean to. _He's_ the one who chose to carry _me_, and chose _where _to place me." I tried to defend myself against the accusation. Wrong move. She lashed out, kicking me hard so that I flew backwards into the wall, which wasn't to far away. She continued kicking at me, hitting me, clawing at me, until I lay crumpled on the floor, bleeding, bruised, with a few cracked ribs and a broken limbs. Hooray for me, I still continue to exist. (SARCASM IS GOOOOOOD!!!)

She left, and an hour or so later, Atemu entered the room, and gasped, running over to me. I couldn't see him, my eyes had swollen over, but I heard him, and when he tried to pick me up, I cried out in pain, and he immediately dropped his hold. I didn't move. "Yuugi, what happened?" he whispered. This hadn't been the first time it had happened, but it was never really this bad. I'd managed to hide most of the bruises and scars from him, and when he actually did see one, I told him I was simply too clumsy for my own good.

I didn't make any effort to answer. I pretended to be sleeping. Atemu sighed. Someone else had entered the room, and gasped. "Send for Isis, I desperately need her healing." Atemu ordered, and the person, whoever they were, left immediately. A gentle hand stroked my hair, touching the only part of me that was left unharmed.

"Yuugi, I wish you would tell me... Why do you always seem so sad? What is it you're hiding from me?" After hearing those whispered words in my ear, I fell asleep, just wishing for once that I wouldn't wake up. I didn't want to face what would await me when I did.

* * *

ENDING THEME:

Michiyuki Yui Horie:

_Setsunasa no kagiri made dakishimete mo_

_Itsumade mo hitotsu ni wa narenakute_

_Yasashisa yori fukai basho de_

_Fureau no wa itami dake_

_Futari wo musunde kudasai_

_Bokura wa mou yume wo minai_

_Tomadoi nagara te wo totte_

_Zankoku na yoake no hou he_

_Arukidasu_

_Hontou no kotoba wa kitto_

_Hontou no sekai no dokoka_

_Bokura no mukuchi na yoru ni_

_Hisonderu_

_Ima mo kitto_

_Sabishisa wo shiru tame ni deau no da to_

_Kuchidzuke wo kawasu made shiranakute_

_Soredemo ima kimi to aeta_

_Yorokobi ni furuete iru_

_Kokoro wo sasaete kudasai_

_Bokura wa mou yume wo minai_

_Atatakai basho he nigenai_

_Zankoku na yoake wo kitto_

_Koete yuku_

_Akirameteta sono shizukesa_

_Hontou no kotoba wo kitto_

_Aishi kizutsuke au tame ni_

_Sagashidasu_

_Itsuka kitto_

_Setsunasa no kagiri made dakishimete mo_

_Itsumade mo hitotsu ni wa narenakute_

_Yoake mae no tsumetai hoshi_

_Futari dake no michiyuki wo_

_Douka terashite kudasai..._

**_Translations:_**

**Xrd** - _Child, (belittling form)_-Egyptian

**Bakamono... Baka, anta onmi kouitsu eru. Nai onmi anta gatsuntoiu butto dakikakaeru bekarazu**. - _(Mono - refering to one's self) Stupid. Stupid, letting him get you. You should not have let him carry you._ -Japanese


	5. Trouble

**Reality ( aka Afterlife) - By LithiumLi3**

Deep inside my paradise I see me  
sitting surrounded by splendor and beauty  
Colors of the surreal are painting my mind  
hypnotized by the thoughts of nothing at all

_**-Imaginary - **__**Annon**_

**(ATEMU'S POV)**

Yugi still is recovering from that vicious beating. Even as I watch him from the edge of the door-frame, and he is sitting at the edge of the pool on the balcony over-looking my lotus garden. He is still very pale, and bits of blue, purple, black, yellow, and angry red still mar his fair skin. He is always sad, and always seems to avoid me. Perhaps because of this, or in spite of it - I know not which - Anzu is constantly around me. But then, Yugi goes to even _greater_ lengths to avoid her, I've noticed. It's not a secret that those two don't like each other. Perhaps it is not _me_ he's avoiding. Somehow, that makes me feel better.

Yugi has taken to speaking to himself. I've heard the tongue uttered from time to time, and have gotten the distinct impression that I _should_ be able to understand what he's saying, but I just can't seem to place the words. _Why?_ Why does everything _about_ him remind me of something I can't recall? Why _is_ it that he is always so sad around me? _Why_ won't he _tell_ me? _Why _did I just ask myself that? He barely _knows_ me! _Of course_ he won't tell _me!_ But... I feel as if he should...

I hate such feelings of uncertainty. Yugi makes me question everything. And he is sooooo _enticing_ to watch when he dances... Why does he confuse me so much? And _why _hasn't he noticed me!? Yugi's singing again. That same song in that same unknown language I don't know...

"_Takaku dono kurai tonde ittara _

_Haruka tooku no kimi ga mienaku naru no?_

_Hitomi soraseba raku ni naru kamo shirenai _

_Demo itsumo dokoka de mitsumete itai _

_Wasureru koto nante deki wa shinai kara _

_Nasu sube mo naku, sora wo miageteru dake. _

_Maru de kago no naka no chiisana tori no you ni _

_Mado wo sagashite atemo naku, samayotte iru. _

_Ima sugu ni aitai kimi ga suki dakara _

_Kizutsuku koto ga kowakute nigetai kedo _

_Mienai shigarami ni tsubasa torawaretemo _

_Soredemo kimi wa kanashii hodo taisetsu na hito."_**(1)**

It sounds so sad...

**(END ATEMU'S P.O.V.)**

I stare down at the pool of water as the sunlight bounces playfully off of it's rippling waves and creating white patterns in the blue reflection on the bottom. I don't touch it. I don't touch anything of Atemu's. It's not my place, as I've been informed by Anzu. And though I don't exactly like submitting to le Bitche de Royale, I don't want another attack like that, and I don't want Atemu to ask any more questions. It's bad enough that I had to suffer through that the first time...

**--------FLASHBACK---------**

_I woke up to crimson eyes staring at me through a curtain of darkness. It was night, and Atemu was at my bedside, worried, and Anzu was next to him glaring at me hatefully. He asked her to leave us, and when she had gone, he turned to me, his face serious, his eyes worried, his tone calm, calculating, and weary at the same time. __"Yugi, I will only ask this once, and I need a truthful answer from you. Please tell me who did this to you, and why?"_

_I blinked, and knew I couldn't lie, not to my Yami, not to my Darker half. I took a breath, and then said, __"I can't tell you." __That was the truth. I wasn't allowed to after any of Anzu's 'little scruffles' as she called them. Atemu closed his eyes, a frown forming on his face._

_"Yugi... Why not?"_

_I closed my eyes, too and I tried not to think of what had happened. I tried to concentrate on breathing. I couldn't lie. __"Because it'll get worse if I do, and then you and I will have a lifelong enemy if you kick them out of here."_

_Atemu let out an angry sigh. __"But Yugi, this is important! It's about _your_ safety!" He said, a little angrily. __I shook my head gingerly, aware I shouldn't move much, and was proven right when shots of pain went up and down my back and neck. __"This has happened to you before, hasn't it? You're used to these beatings. You've had experience with this in the Tepey Ta._**(2) **_Am I correct in this?" Comprehension had crept into his voice. __I sighed, and nodded slightly, just enough so that he could see. He frowned even more deeply when I opened my eyes._

_"I suppose you want the entire story behind that?" I asked with some form of resignition in my voice. __Atemu nodded, and sat back. I let another long sigh, before starting on some of my most painful memories. The bitter times around when my parents died. __"I used to have to deal with that every day since I was at least three. People didn't like me. They thought I was a freak. __When my parents died in an accident, I went to live with my Jii-chan - I mean Grandfather. He took me in and taught me about games, the very thing I loved to do, and was aptly named after. For that, and the fact that I can forgive anyone for anything, I was ostracised from everyone, left to my own devices. __I was always small, and always looked like a little child, so it left me to be the perfect target for people who pick on others, and I learned at an early age how to deal with them. Avoid them as much as possible, take the beating when it's unavoidable, never try to run away, never speak of what's happened. __It wasn't until I turned twelve that I was able to stave them off..."_

**--------END FLASHBACK---------**

I had stopped there, and even though Atemu looked like he wanted to hear more, I refused to say anything more on it. I fell asleep shortly after that. I've been keeping away from both Anzu and Atemu since then, and that had been at least two months ago. I kept hidden some old treasures of mine. They'd just appeared one day when I was getting out of a rather large bath room**(3)** (We only get to bathe once a week, can you believe it!?) when they landed on my head. And right now, I'm taking them out to look at them again. Two of the items were Duel Monsters Cards. The Dark Magician, and Kuriboh. Yami's and my own favoured cards. I had the Eye Piece of the Millennium Puzzle, which I kept near to me at all times.

And lastly, I had an old photograph of me, looking as small and childish as ever in my overly-large clothes, laughing, Jounochi-kun behind me, a big goofy grin on his face, his arm slung around Honda-kun, who was facing away from the camera, his expression angry, (Jounochi-kun had poked him on the forehead, telling him that his hair was too pointed to have much of a skull under it, so his brain was therefore, mush.) Anzu-san is next to Honda-kun, deceptively sweet as always, Kaiba-kun, ... was Kaiba-kun. His expression is aloof, cold, and he looks bored as hell. He stands behind Mokuba-kun who is next to me, laughing at Jounochi-kun's antics, Jii-chan to the right of Mokuba, looking worriedly at Honda-kun, but chuckling all the same, and right next to me, if you look really closely, was Yami, a rare smile upon his face, crimson eyes glittering happily, an arm around my shoulders, whispering the thing that made me laugh. (He'd said that Honda-kun and Jounochi-kun act like a married couple, and that they should marry to see how it works.)

It was a happy time, one long before we were even aware of the danger of Pegasus.**(5)**It makes my heart ache to look at this picture. But it also always makes me smile. I trace the spot where Yami stands with my index finger, and gaze upon it wistfully. I miss Yami. Yes, I like Atemu, he technically _is _Yami, but they're not exactly the same.

"Yami... Ganbou anata wa boku genzaichi yogayonara imaima... Hontoni anata boku wo koishitau..." **(4) **I sighed, and then stiffened when I heard Atemu's voice say,

"Yugi, what are you looking at?"

I hadn't noticed that he'd come up behind me, and was now looking at the photograph with something akin to amazement. "How in Khement did you get Seth to dress like such, much less paint such a vivid picture of him?"

I laughed. "It's not Seth, Pr-aA. This is one of my friends, Kaiba, Seto." Atemu nodded, staring with deep concentration at the picture. He'd spotted something. And he asked me, pointing to the spot where Yami stood,

"Who is this, then?"

**(ATEMU'S POV)**

Yugi seemed sad when I pointed to the faint outline of what looked like an older brother of his next to him. He didn't respond for a long time. But he did reply in such a quiet voice that I had to strain to hear it,

"His name was Yami."

Atemu blinked. The name sounded familiar...

"Who was Yami?"

There was a long silence, before Yugi let out a long sigh.

"Pr-aA, I really can't talk about this right n-"

"PR-AA!!!"

Both Yugi and I cringed at the sound of Anzu's voice screeching through the air. Yugi darted out, grabbing all but a small gold piece that he'd dropped, the painting, and bolted away. I picked them both up for later examination. Anzu stopped next to me, her face ecstatic, which meant one of two things: She was the Queen, or she was marrying me. Either thought makes me cringe. She's so... coarse...

I think I'm comparing her to Yugi. Yugi is always soft, always gentle, but willful, and oh so strong... He's beautiful, adorable in some ways, and when I watch him actually smile, it lights up the room. He is a complete opposite of me, and I think I'm in love with him.

And it feels like it's supposed to be this way...

**(END ATEMU'S P.O.V.)**

**--TIME LEAP--**

I'm dancing again. Atemu's eyes bore holes into my skin. I think he's wary of me catching a fever from all of the blushing I do. But then again, if you had someone like Yami staring at you all the time like he just wants to jump you, wouldn't you blush too? I wonder if this flush is permanent...

Anzu is gone for the moment, which is very nice. I can relax a bit more. I'm glad she doesn't dance here. If she did, I'd have to run for my life half the time. I'm in the middle of a twisted lilting turn when something crashes behind me. I fall in surprise, land on my almost-healed-completely bruises, wince slightly, and stare at the entrance door to the throne room.

The next thing I see is a blur of white and pale blonde, and suddenly I'm on the ground again, tackled by two people into a strangle-hold-like hug.

"YUGI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

And there go my ears...

Atemu's of course, already on his feet, sword in hand, (He always carries one at the waist) and ready to strike, but unmoving, waiting for the two to release me before striking. I blink and suddenly recognised the two people that were now looking at me, grinning like idiots.

"Ryou!? Malik?!"

Said Hikari's**(6) **grinned even wider, and plopped down next to me. Ryou sat on my left, was still the same shade of ivory, his skin-tone unchanged by the desert sun. He was the same, only a little different in an Egyptian skirt/kilt/whatever they call it in Egypt/thing. It was a little unsettling to see him like that actually. He was always the proper English Gentleman, really. Malik sat on my right, and he too was unchanged, though he looked more normal in the same Egyptian-wear.

Of course, with the Hikari's, came the Yami's. Bakura and Marik both strode in, took one look at the Hikari's, another at Atemu's now very much lowered sword, laughed, and sat down next to their respective Hikari's.

Of course, Ryou chose now to look me over, poke at my dancer's garb, which consisted of very sheer silks of royal purple, periwinkle, and lavender, and saying, "Yugi, what are you wearing!? You look like a-"

I clapped a hand over his mouth and shook my head. "It was the Pr-aA's choice, so don't insult it."

Ryou blinked, then shrugged. "As you like."

Then Malik set to poking my various fabrics, while chattering to me in Japanese what exactly I looked like. (A harem piece, whore, slutty dancer, among other things, but mostly, a girl... I'm still not sure on whether or not to be insulted, since he spoke playfully...)

Ryou blinks, suddenly realizing something. "Yugi, what about Yami? Doesn't he remember? It took Bakura a little while to remember too, and the same with Marik, but they did after a few days..."

I shook my head. I'm glad we were still talking in Japanese. It would have been disastrous for Atemu to hear this. It's not that I don't want him to remember, it's just that he has to do so on his own. Or the Gods will curse me to the worst hell in the world...

"Yami doesn't remember who he is. He doesn't know me, or you, or anything. I'm just a dancer that was the Last One to go to this Afterlife**(7)**, and nothing more."

Ryou and Malik seemed to sadden at this, until Bakura started laughing. Turning to question him, Ryou opened his mouth, but was immediately silenced by Marik sniggering too. Bakura spoke up after he calmed down enough:

"It looks like he likes you anyway, Farrow's Brat." I blinked, and turned, and Atemu was watching the whole thing warily. And kept looking at me, as if to say, _are you going to be okay with these people?_ I turned back around, and shook my head.

"You're really weird, Tomb Robber." We all sniggered at the name, while Bakura huffed and whacked Marik over the head for laughing too. I got up, dusting off myself, and then helped Ryou and Malik up, while they helped Bakura and Marik up. I then turned to Atemu, giving my evilest puppy-dog eyes, and asked, "Pr-aA, can they stay here for a little while?"

**(INSERT EVIL THEME MUSIC HERE)**

ENDING THEME:

Michiyuki - Yui Horie:

_Even if you embrace me until it's suffocating,_

_We will never become one._

_In a place deeper than gentleness,_

_Touching each other is merely pain._

_Please bind the two of us._

_We will dream no more,_

_Joining hands in uncertainty;_

_Walking towards_

_The cruel dawn._

_True words are surely_

_Somewhere in the true world;_

_Lurking_

_In our wordless night._

_Surely even now..._

_Meeting each other in order to know loneliness,_

_We won't know until we exchange a kiss._

_Even so, I am trembling with the joy_

_Of having met you._

_Please support my heart._

_We will dream no more,_

_We can't run to a warm place._

_We will surely overcome_

_The cruel dawn._

_The abandoned quietness;_

_Will surely find_

_The true words_

_In order to lovingly hurt each other;_

_Someday surely..._

_Even if you embrace me until it's suffocating,_

_We will never become one._

_O cold starts before dawn,_

_Please light_

_The path that's just for us._

Notes:

**(1) **Caged Bird - Miyamoto Shunichi - Translation:

How high would I have to fly

To lose sight of you, so far away?

If I turn my eyes away, I might feel better.

But I want to always be looking at you from somewhere.

Because there's no way I could forget you.

At my wits' end, I simply keep staring up at the sky.

It's almost as if I were like a small bird inside a cage,

Searching for the window, aimlessly wandering around.

I want to see you right away, because I love you,

Even though I want to run away because I'm scared of being hurt.

If this unseen barrier around me should tear away my wings,

Still, you are so precious to me that it makes me sad.

**(2) **Egyptian: Tepey Ta - First Land (In my meaning, the First Land is the Land of the Living, basically.)

**(3) **Note:It's literally a room for just a bath. That's it. Not toiletries or anything else like that. Those are in the corner, near a patch of curtains for privacy. Hehe, I'm evil.

**(4) **Japanese:"Yami... Ganbou anata wa boku genzaichi yogayonara imaima... Hontoni anata boku wo koishitau..." - Yami... I wish you were here... I really miss you...

**(5)**Note: Before Pegasus, Yugi was on Seto's and Mokuba's good side. I'm changing a little here. It was before Yugi took Seto's title, and Seto was... well as nice as Seto can be toward people. If you say that's not how it goes, of course not, but it's not called FAN-FICTION for nothing.

**(6)**Note: I've had a few people say that Malik is not a Hikari. To me, he is an honorary Hikari, because he had an evil other half. Plus, again, this is fiction. I get free reign. So Ha! Double Ha!

**(7)**Note: By this Afterlife, I mean that there are way more than one. Each Pharaoh has their own Afterlife, during the time when they ruled, with the people they grew up with, and rule over in peace it and prosperity with all that they could wish for. In Atemu's case, In the time that he was Yami, he decided he wanted Yugi with him for all time. If you want to know why Anzu's in it, then I'd have to say, for plot reasons. We need her. The Crazy Stalker of a Fuzz-bag...


	6. Consumed

_And forever myself_

_Forever without you_

_Forever wandering_

_Forever alone_

_And always screaming_

_Always bleeding_

_Always wanting_

_Always denied_

_And eternally forgotten_

_Eternally ensared_

_Eternally serving_

_Eternally unrequited_

**Ever ~ Me**

* * *

**ATEMU'S POV**

I couldn't help but give in when Yugi pinned me with that cursed look. He looked like a small (fuzzy and cuddly) animal that had been kicked rather viciously. I couldn't control my facial muscles, either, because I'm pretty sure I pretty much melted under that gaze. I nodded, albiet reluctantly. After all, we were talking about the Tomb Robber. But Yugi seemed to know them well enough. I guess it wouldn't be too bad....

What was the worst that could happen?

* * *

**YUGI'S POV**

I grinned as the other Hikari's let out whoops of excitement. Marik and Bakura grinned evilly. I just hope they didn't do anything too bad... Switching my focus from the assortment of people around me, I feel my gaze drawn towards the door.

My blood runs cold.

Anzu, dressed in an insane amount of finery and sheer cloth stood at the door, and my position close to Atemu was not earning me any brownie points with her. I immediately leapt away, as if burned by her gaze, but the tiny smirk on her face unsettled me. I glanced at the Hikari's, wondering what they thought, and they just stared at her with wide eyes. I'd forgotten that they didn't know Anzu was such a bitch...

I fought the urge to whimper as her gaze turned to me and turned glacial. I'm getting more and more afraid of her. My instincts scream that something bad is going to happen to me, and it would be her fault. My instincts have never been wrong before.

Atemu stands, frowning, and moves to stand near me, his face set with protective determination. I scuttle further back and find myself in the furthest corner. Atemu looks at me, confused.

It gives Anzu all the time she needs to strike, and strike she does. With a simple, indistinguishable sound, she hurls something at Atemu.

My eyes widen as everything slows down. My mind is screaming for Atemu to get out of the way while my feet move, feeling like they're wading through mud as they race to get Atemu away from it. Then the sound of glass shattering and the smell of blood greets me as Atemu and Anzu and the others are enveloped in red smoke. My vision turns black as I fall downward.

* * *

**TIME BREAK**

I opened my eyes to find myself floating in complete darkness. There are no malevolent colors swirling within it, not the mix of bloody red or malicious purple from my memories of the Shadow Realm. It doesn't feel familiar or cold or draining. It is simply dark. Then, I fall.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

_"Hey runt, whutter ye doin' hea?"_

_Jounouchi-kun? I turn to see my best friend, but freeze, seeing that look I remembered only too well. The one he'd given me before we were friends, that icy predatory look. Normally warm honey brown eyes glared at me coldly, and I shivered._

_"Jounouchi-kun...?"_

_A snort of disgust, and suddenly I was pushed against a wall. I winced, but looked at my friend, confused, lost, afraid..._

_"Don't look at me like that, runt! You know better by now..."_

_Why?_

* * *

_Anzu pushed me roughly against the pavement._

_"Get away from me, freak! Can't you see I just wanted your Yami all along? I never liked you."_

_I looked down. Of course... she blamed me for everything that happened to the Pharaoh. It was my fault. I wasn't good enough. I couldn't stop him from going to the Afterlife. I was too weak. And she knew it._

* * *

_Ryou simply sighed with imaptience._

_"Yugi, I don't care. I don't want to hear your pathetic whining. Stop being so selfish."_

_I stopped. I was selfish, wasn't I? A worthless, friendless, selfish, stupid person... and it took me this long to realize it... Why?_

* * *

_Honda looked away._

_"Faggot."_

* * *

_Atemu sneered at me, glaring down his nose._

_"Why the hell would I even care about a pathetic thing like you? Worthless, useless, stupid thing that you are, you should feel lucky that I even let you live. Even let you in my presence. Don't disgrace me with your insignificant feelings."_

_I had no defence against that. Nothing to break the mental walls. Nothing to contradict what he said, because..._

_It was all true..._

* * *

I heard the sound of choked sobs after a time. I knew but didn't care that they were my own. I was back in the darkness. I could feel that.

I felt so raw. So _broken_. And I couldn't figure out how to pull myself back together. That is, until the Voice broke through the sounds of my crying. _"Serve me. Become mine and all will be well again."_ The Voice was cold, but it sounded reassuring. It was female, I think, and it was gruff with age.

But I felt myself nodding in response, and I was suddenly surrounded by grey cement walls. The face of my grandfather, half-rotted and very zombie-like stared at me before his frame crumpled and turned to dust instantly.

I let out a scream, but was slapped in the face. "Did I say you could make any noise? Hmm?" Another slap, and I recognised the Voice. Anzu... Oh shit. "Now then, my slave. It's time to get to work. Go clean out my coal oven. And make sure to get rid of all the red ones. I hate burning embers." I was quick to obey, but horrified and screaming in my head. ~Yami!~

* * *

**ATEMU'S POV**

I sat up in my bed quickly. Anzu, my queen lay beside me, snoring loudly. I turned away from her in disgust. Why did I marry that greedy bint? I was wondering what had woken me up when something on my bedside table caught my eye. It was a solid gold puzzle piece, the eye of Ra at its center, and it was glowing, pulsating quickly with fluttering flashes like a frantic heartbeat.

~Yami!~ That was the sound that had woken me up. That sweet voice, a voice like no other, but bathed in fear, calling for... me...? I blinked. Yami... where had I heard such a term before? And suddenly, it hit me in a flash. I jerked forward in voluntarily in surprise.

"Yugi!" I breathed. Anzu stirred, but didn't wake. I felt like my throat was closing in around me. Something was so very wrong. "Yugi?" I repeated, just a little bit more loudly. Anzu woke and sat up groggily.

"What's wrong snuggle bear?" She asked in a thick voice. I winced at the name.

"Where is Yugi?" I demanded, my voice much louder now. Her face took on a surprised look, before a smirk appeared.

"My counterpart in the realm of the living took him. He's now her slave for eternity. And you're my husband for forever." Her laughter rang throughout the room, eerie and mad. I panicked, and backed away from her, but she grabbed me and pulled me down onto the bed. "Come, my dear, and let us play." She said. And I couldn't hold back the absolute terror-filled scream. "No distractions now. I killed all of Yugi's little friends, too." She laughed sinisterly.

**~~~~OWARI~~~~~~**

***hides* _Don't kill me...! _*avoids the torches and pitchforks*.**


End file.
